PORT ANGELES – The city of Port Angeles may be moving away from possibly fining people for vacant properties, and instead registering them.

This week, the council further discussed what to do about vacant properties in the city. Council members decided to limit the scope to just properties in the downtown and the main commercial arterials.

And for now, mayor Sissi Bruch says they may focus on creating a free registry of those properties.

Bruch says the council has appeared to have backed off proposals that could’ve levied fines if properties were left vacant for a to-be-determined period of time.

She says, although you could get the same information from real estate agents, having a ready list of vacant properties would be helpful for city staff.

No formal proposals have been developed so far. Bruch says she expects city staff may start developing a proposal for the council to look at soon